William "Sonny" Criss (23 October 1927 – 19 November 1977) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

musician. An

alto saxophonist The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

of prominence during the

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...

era of jazz, he was one of many players influenced by

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

Biography

William Criss was born in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, United States, and moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

at the age of 15. He then went on to play in various bands including

Howard McGhee Howard McGhee (March 6, 1918 – July 17, 1987) was one of the first American bebop jazz trumpeters, with Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro and Idrees Sulieman. He was known for his fast fingering and high notes. He had an influence on younger beb ...

's, which also featured

. Criss had developed his own, concise, bluesy tone by this point, and though his basic style did not vary much, his ability on the instrument continued to develop. Nevertheless, he continued to drift from band to band, and played on some records with

Johnny Otis Johnny Otis (born Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes; December 28, 1921 – January 17, 2012) was an American singer, musician, composer, bandleader, record producer, and talent scout. He was a seminal influence on American R&B and rock and roll. He ...

and

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously ...

. His first major break came in 1947, on a number of jam sessions arranged by jazz impresario

Norman Granz Norman Granz (August 6, 1918 – November 22, 2001) was an American jazz record producer and concert promoter. He founded the record labels Clef, Norgran, Down Home, Verve, and Pablo. Granz was acknowledged as "the most successful impresar ...

. In 1956 he signed to

Imperial Records Imperial Records is an American record company and label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd. The label was reactivated in 2006 by EMI, which owned the label and back catalogue at the time. Imperial is owned by Universal Music Group. Early years to ...

, based in New York, and recorded a series albums including ''Jazz U.S.A '', ''Go Man!'' and ''Sonny Criss Plays Cole Porter'' featuring pianist

Sonny Clark Conrad Yeatis "Sonny" Clark (July 21, 1931 – January 13, 1963) was an American jazz pianist and composer who mainly worked in the hard bop idiom. Early life Clark was born and raised in Herminie, Pennsylvania, a coal mining town east of Pit ...

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

, which owned the

master recording Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via met ...

s, reissued them as a double-CD set on their

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical co ...

imprint in 2000. Criss also recorded ''At the Crossroads'' with pianist

Wynton Kelly Wynton Charles Kelly (December 2, 1931 – April 12, 1971) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He is known for his lively, blues-based playing and as one of the finest accompanists in jazz. He began playing professionally at the age of ...

Prestige Prestige refers to a good reputation or high esteem; in earlier usage, ''prestige'' meant "showiness". (19th c.) Prestige may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films * ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnet ...

signed Criss in 1965, and he continued to record well-acclaimed albums which were mainly rooted in

hard bop Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or "bop") music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz that incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospe ...

traditions. ''Sonny's Dream'' featured arrangements by

Horace Tapscott Horace Elva Tapscott (April 6, 1934 – February 27, 1999) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He formed the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra (also known as P.A.P.A., or The Ark) in 1961 and led the ensemble through the 1990s. Early lif ...

. Later sessions were recorded for

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

and

Impulse Impulse or Impulsive may refer to: Science * Impulse (physics), in mechanics, the change of momentum of an object; the integral of a force with respect to time * Impulse noise (disambiguation) * Specific impulse, the change in momentum per uni ...

. By 1977, Criss had developed stomach cancer and did not play again. As a consequence of this painful condition, Criss committed suicide (self-inflicted gunshot) in 1977, in his adopted city of Los Angeles. He never married, but had one son, Steven Criss.

Discography

As leader

* ''California Boppin' '' (

Fresh Sound Fresh Sound, or Fresh Sound New Talent, is a jazz record label established in Barcelona, Spain, by Jordi Pujol. The label was initially founded as a reissue label. The catalog includes work by musicians both major and minor that was recorded be ...

, 1947) * ''Intermission Riff'' (

Pablo Pablo is a Spanish form of the name Paul. People * Pablo Alborán, Spanish singer *Pablo Aimar, Argentine footballer *Pablo Armero, Colombian footballer * Pablo Bartholomew, Indian photojournalist *Pablo Brandán, Argentine footballer * Pablo Bren ...

, 1951 988 * ''Jazz USA'' (

Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...

, 1956) * ''Go Man!'' (Imperial, 1956) * ''Sonny Criss Plays Cole Porter'' (Imperial, 1956) * ''Sonny Criss at the Crossroads'' (

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...

, 1959) on CD as Featuring

* ''Criss Cross'' (Imperial, 1963) compilation * ''Mr. Blues Pour Flirter'' (Brunswick

rance Rance may refer to: Places * Rance (river), northwestern France * Rancé, a commune in eastern France, near Lyon * Ranče, a small settlement in Slovenia * Rance, Wallonia, part of the municipality of Sivry-Rance ** Rouge de Rance, a Devonian ...

Records, 1963) * ''

This Is Criss! ''This is Criss!'' is an album by saxophonist Sonny Criss recorded in 1966 and released on the Prestige label.Prestige Prestige refers to a good reputation or high esteem; in earlier usage, ''prestige'' meant "showiness". (19th c.) Prestige may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films * ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnet ...

, 1966) * ''

Portrait of Sonny Criss ''Portrait of Sonny Criss'' is an album by saxophonist Sonny Criss recorded in 1967 and released on the Prestige label.Up, Up And Away'' (

, 1967) * '' The Beat Goes On!'' (

, 1968) * ''

Sonny's Dream (Birth of the New Cool) ''Sonny's Dream (Birth of the New Cool)'' is an album by saxophonist Sonny Criss recorded in 1968 and released on the Prestige label.Prestige Prestige refers to a good reputation or high esteem; in earlier usage, ''prestige'' meant "showiness". (19th c.) Prestige may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films * ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnet ...

, 1968) * '' Rockin' in Rhythm'' (

, 1968) * ''

I'll Catch the Sun! ''I'll Catch the Sun!'' is a jazz album by alto saxophonist Sonny Criss, recorded in 1969 and released on the Prestige label.Prestige Prestige refers to a good reputation or high esteem; in earlier usage, ''prestige'' meant "showiness". (19th c.) Prestige may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films * ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnet ...

, 1969) * ''The Best Of Sonny Criss: Hits of the '60's'' (

, 1970) compilation * ''Live in Italy'' (Fresh Sound, 1974) * '' Saturday Morning'' ( Xanadu, 1975) * ''

Crisscraft ''Crisscraft'' is a 1975 album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Criss, originally released on the Muse Records, Muse label, and later reissued on 32 Jazz.Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

, 1975) *'' Out of Nowhere'' (Muse, 1976) * '' Warm & Sonny'' (

Impulse! Impulse! Records (occasionally styled as "¡mpulse! Records" and "¡!") is an American jazz record company and label established by Creed Taylor in 1960. John Coltrane was among Impulse!'s earliest signings. Thanks to consistent sales and positiv ...

, 1976) * ''

The Joy of Sax ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (Impulse!, 1977) * ''The Sonny Criss Memorial Album'' (Xanadu, 1984)

As sideman

With

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gi ...

*'' The Hunt'' (

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Savo ...

, 1947) also on Jazz Concert West Coast vols 1-3 (Savoy) With

Wardell Gray Wardell Gray (February 13, 1921 – May 25, 1955) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who straddled the swing and bebop periods. Biography Early years Gray was born in Oklahoma City, the youngest of four children. He spent his early chil ...

All Stars * ''Wardell Gray Memorial, Vol. 2'' (Prestige, 1950) With

and

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

* ''Inglewood Jam'' (Fresh Sound, 1952) With

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York ...

*''

The Wailing Buddy Rich ''The Wailing Buddy Rich'' is an album by jazz drummer Buddy Rich, released in 1955 on Norgran Records. The first two tracks were recorded on May 16, 1955, in New York; the remaining tracks were recorded with different personnel in Los Angeles o ...

'' ( Norgran, 1955) * ''

The Swinging Buddy Rich ''The Swinging Buddy Rich'' is a jazz album of songs recorded in Los Angeles in 1953 and 1954 by Buddy Rich with Harry "Sweets" Edison and others. The first 6 tracks were released on a 10-inch Norgran Records LP in 1954. An expanded 12 inch Nor ...

'' (Norgran, 1955) * ''The Cinch'' - quintet Live at Birdland - (1958) With

Lou Rawls Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American record producer, singer, composer and actor. Rawls released more than 60 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably his s ...

and Onzy Matthews Big Band * ''Tobacco Road'' (Capitol, 1963) With Onzy Matthews * ''Sounds For The '60's'' (Capitol, 1966) With

Esther Phillips Esther Phillips (born Esther Mae Jones; December 23, 1935 – August 7, 1984) was an American singer, best known for her R&B vocals.Santelli, Robert (2001). ''The Big Book of Blues: A Biographical Encyclopedia''. Penguin Books. p. 376. . She ...

and Onzy Matthews Orchestra * ''Confessin' The Blues'' (Atlantic, 1966) With

Hampton Hawes Hampton Barnett Hawes Jr. (November 13, 1928 – May 22, 1977) was an American jazz pianist. He was the author of the memoir ''Raise Up Off Me'', which won the Deems-Taylor Award for music writing in 1975. Early life Hampton Hawes was born on ...

All Stars * ''Live At Memory Lane'' (Fresh Sound, 1970)

References

External links

Sonny Criss at the Hard Bop Home PageSonny Criss discography at Jazz Discography Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Criss, Sonny 1927 births 1977 deaths 1977 suicides African-American saxophonists American jazz alto saxophonists American male saxophonists Bebop saxophonists Hard bop saxophonists Suicides by firearm in California Musicians from Memphis, Tennessee Xanadu Records artists Prestige Records artists Imperial Records artists Savoy Records artists Muse Records artists 20th-century American saxophonists Jazz musicians from Tennessee 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians 20th-century African-American musicians